Disney Dining Plan

The Disney Dining Plan or DDP is a meal plan that can be prepaid through Disney. If you are booking a vacation package through Disney it will be billed as part of your Magic You Way Package and if you have a Vacation Club membership you can purchase the Dining Plan on the site and then choose which one you would like. If you are not staying in a Disney World resort then you will not be able to purchase the Disney Dining Plan. Sometimes Disney offers a deal for free dining, this is a very popular deal. If you stay at a Value resort you will either have the get the Quick Service plan or you may be excluded depending on how Disney is offering the DDP. Guests staying in Moderate and Deluxe resorts are usually given to the Disney Dining Plan. Sometimes if the DDP is offeres free you can pay for an upgrade, again this all depends on how Disney is offering the plan. If Disney is offering the DDP free I highly suggest calling and talking to someone so they can walk you through your options because the website is sometimes vague about the offerings.

People feel strongly that the plan is either a great value or too costly. I happen to be a foodie and enjoy having a good meal at Disney so the Dining Plan always works for me. If your family or traveling partners are not big eaters then your better off paying out of pocket. One other option is the Tables in Wonderland Program which for a set price offers 20 percent off your meal, you can purchase this if your a Florida resident or a Vacation Club Member. If your curious about the DDP try it out during one of the free dining offers.

There are several types of meal plans and usually they depend on the type of resort you are staying at. Each person staying in the room has to purchase the Dining Plan.

Quick Service Plan

The most basic plan is the Quick Service meal plan which offers two quick service meals, 2 snacks, and 1 refillable mug to use at your resort. I bought this plan the last time I stayed at All Star Sports before I bought my Vacation Club, it was 5 day trip and by day 3 we were really sick of having just fast food. ​

What's IncludedEveryone in the party ages 3 and over will receive the following each night of their package stay:

2 Quick-Service Meals

2 Snacks

Each Guest ages 3 and over will receive a refillable drink mug, which is eligible for refills at self-service beverage islands at Quick-Service locations at any Disney Resort hotel.

New for 2018 vacation packages! Guests have several new beverage options available including non-alcoholic specialty beverages and, for Guests 21 and older, beer, wine and cocktails.

Snacks:At Quick-Service restaurants, most Outdoor Carts and select merchandise locations, snacks may include a single serving of items such as:

Frozen ice cream novelty, popsicle or fruit bar

Popcorn scoop

12 oz. coffee, hot chocolate or hot tea

Prepackaged milk or juice

Piece of whole fruit

Bag of snacks

20 oz. bottle of Coca-Cola®, Sprite® or Dasani® water

20 oz. fountain soft drink

Beverages:Guests under 21 years of age can choose one non-alcoholic beverage (including specialty beverages where offered). Guests 21 and older can can choose either one non-alcoholic beverage (including specialty beverages where offered) or one single serving mixed cocktail, beer, or wine (where offered) within their meal entitlement.A single-serving non-alcoholic beverage includes items such as:

Artisanal Milkshakes

Fresh Smoothies

Premium Hot Chocolate

Soda, Coffee or Tea

A single-serving alcoholic beverage includes items such as:

Beer or Cider

Wine or Sangria

Mixed Drinks and Specialty Cocktails

Most beer, wine and mixed drink beverages included, some exceptions apply. Guests must be age 21 or older and present valid ID to be served alcoholic beverages. Alcoholic beverages may only be redeemed with a Quick-Service meal entitlement.

What’s Not Included

Items that are more than a single serving (such as a box of doughnuts or a jar of peanut butter)

Items (such as popcorn or drinks) that are served in a souvenir container

Items sold from recreational rental counters

Items considered to be merchandise (such as bottle toppers, glow cubes and bottle straps)

Special dining events offered at certain Table-Service locations

Dining Plan

The next plan up is the Disney Dining Plan which offers 1 quick service meal, 1 sit down meal, 2 snacks, and 1 refillable mug to use at your resort. This is the most commonly used dining plan. I have used this DDP 4 or 5 times and I think it's great. It is very easy to manage if you use all 1 service meals, it can get tricky if you start booking 2 service meals like Le Cellier, Cinderella's Royal Table, and Hoop Dee Doo Revue. If you start booking 1 or more 2 service credits make sure to plan either cheaper sit down options to pay for or plan to pay for some quick service options. ​

What’s IncludedEveryone in the party ages 3 and over will receive the following each night of their package stay:

1 Quick-Service Meal

1 Table-Service Meal

2 Snacks

Each Guest ages 3 and over will receive a refillable drink mug, which is eligible for refills at self-service beverage islands at Quick-Service locations at any Disney Resort hotel.New for 2018 vacation packages! Guests have several new beverage options available including non-alcoholic specialty beverages and, for Guests 21 and older, beer, wine and cocktails.Each Quick-Service meal includes (for breakfast, lunch or dinner):

*Ask your server about potential substitutions, but substitutions are not guaranteed. **If available.Snacks:At Quick-Service restaurants, most Outdoor Carts and select merchandise locations, snacks may include a single serving of items such as:

Frozen ice cream novelty, popsicle or fruit bar

Popcorn scoop

12 oz. coffee, hot chocolate or hot tea

Prepackaged milk or juice

Piece of whole fruit

Bag of snacks

20 oz. bottle of Coca-Cola®, Sprite® or Dasani® water

20 oz. fountain soft drink

Beverages:Guests under 21 years of age can choose one non-alcoholic beverage (including specialty beverages where offered). Guests 21 and older can choose either one non-alcoholic beverage (including specialty beverages where offered) or one single-serving mixed cocktail, beer, or wine (where offered) within their meal entitlement.A single-serving non-alcoholic beverage includes items such as:

Artisanal Milkshakes

Fresh Smoothies

Premium Hot Chocolate

Soda, Coffee or Tea

A single-serving alcoholic beverage includes items such as:

Beer or Cider

Wine or Sangria

Mixed Drinks and Specialty Cocktails

Most beer, wine and mixed drink beverages included, some exceptions apply. Guests 21 and older must present valid ID to be served alcoholic beverages. Alcoholic beverages may only be redeemed with a Quick-Service or Table-Service meal entitlement.

Other Magical Dining Experiences to Redeem Table-Service Meals

Character Dining:Dine with some of your favorite Disney Characters! Have your camera ready for this experience that adds a little extra magic to your Table-Service meal. Cinderella's Royal Table requires 2 Table-Service meals will be redeemed per person.Merchandise or photo imaging products that may be offered for sale at Character Dining Experiences are not included. Gratuities are not included unless otherwise noted.

Signature Dining Restaurants:Experience an elegant Table-Service option with a wide selection of cuisines ranging from traditional African, Indian and Mediterranean to premium steaks and fresh seafood.Each meal from a Signature Dining restaurant includes:

Two Table-Service meals for each Signature Dining restaurant meal ordered will be redeemed from each person’s meal plan balance.The dress code for Signature Dining restaurants is Resort casual. Not permitted in dining room: tank tops, swimsuits or swimsuit cover-ups, hats for gentlemen, cutoffs, torn clothing of any kind or T-shirts with offensive language and/or graphics.

Dinner Shows:Enjoy family-style dining with live entertainment at a themed dinner show.The Disney Dining Plan can be used for Category 2 or Category 3 seating at all Dinner Shows (subject to availability) and Category 1 seating at the 8:30 PM Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue (subject to availability). Please pick up your Dinner Show ticket at the Concierge Desk in your Disney Resort hotel prior to arriving at the show. All Dinner Shows require advance reservations.2 meals for each Dinner Show meal ordered will be redeemed from each person’s meal plan balance.

Two meals for each Private In-Room Dining meal ordered will be redeemed from each person’s meal plan balance. Gratuities are included.Please note: Dining Plans are not accepted for Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort Private Dining.

A total of two 2 adult meals will be redeemed from your meal plan balance for each Pizza Delivery meal. Gratuities are included.

What's Not Included

Items that are more than a single serving (such as a box of doughnuts or a jar of peanut butter)

Items (such as popcorn or drinks) that are served in a souvenir container

Items sold from recreational rental counters

Items considered to be merchandise (such as bottle toppers, glow cubes and bottle straps)

Special dining events offered at certain Table-Service locations

Deluxe plan

The next step up is the Deluxe Dining Plan which offers 3 meals (either quick service or sit down), 2 snacks, and 1 refillable mug to use at your resort. I have used this plan once and I loved it. It was a short trip and it was great having the flexibality of using either sit down or quick service meals. I used 2 credits for Le Cellier for dinner and since it was a quick trip we didn't need to pay out of pocket for another meal. This is a great choice for those who love to have sit down meals, you could plan 3 sit down meals a day if you wanted. ​

What's IncludedEveryone in the party ages 3 and over will receive the following each night of their package stay:

3 Meals

2 Snacks

Each Guest ages 3 and over will receive a refillable drink mug, which is eligible for refills at self-service beverage islands at Quick-Service locations at any Disney Resort hotel.

New for 2018 vacation packages! Guests have several new beverage options available including non-alcoholic specialty beverages and, for Guests 21 and older, beer, wine and cocktails.

*Ask your server about potential substitutions, but substitutions are not guaranteed. **If available.

Snacks:At Quick-Service restaurants, most Outdoor Carts and select merchandise locations, snacks may include a single serving of items such as:

Frozen ice cream novelty, popsicle or fruit bar

Popcorn scoop

12 oz. coffee, hot chocolate or hot tea

Prepackaged milk or juice

Piece of whole fruit

Bag of snacks

20 oz. bottle of Coca-Cola®, Sprite® or Dasani® water

20 oz. fountain soft drink

Beverages:Guests under 21 years of age can choose one non-alcoholic beverage (including specialty beverages where offered). Guests 21 and older can choose either one non-alcoholic beverage (including specialty beverages where offered) or one single-serving mixed cocktail, beer, or wine (where offered) within their meal entitlement.

A single-serving non-alcoholic beverage includes items such as:

Artisanal Milkshakes

Fresh Smoothies

Premium Hot Chocolate

Soda, Coffee or Tea

A single-serving alcoholic beverage includes items such as:

Beer or Cider

Wine or Sangria

Mixed Drinks and Specialty Cocktails

Most beer, wine and mixed drink beverages included, some exceptions apply. Guests must be 21 or older and present valid ID to be served alcoholic beverages. Alcoholic beverages may only be redeemed with a Quick-Service or Table-Service meal entitlement.

Other Magical Dining Experiences to Redeem Table-Service Meals

Character Dining:Dine with some of your favorite Disney Characters! Have your camera ready for this experience that adds a little extra magic to your Table-Service meal. Cinderella's Royal Table requires that 2 Table-Service meals will be redeemed per person.Merchandise or photo imaging products that may be offered for sale at Character Dining Experiences are not included. Gratuities are not included unless otherwise noted.

Signature Dining Restaurants:Experience an elegant Table-Service option with a wide selection of cuisines ranging from traditional African, Indian and Mediterranean to premium steaks and fresh seafood.Each meal from a Signature Dining restaurant includes:

Two Table-Service meals for each Signature Dining restaurant meal ordered will be redeemed from each person’s meal plan balance.The dress code for Signature Dining restaurants is Resort casual. Not permitted in dining room: tank tops, swimsuits or swimsuit cover-ups, hats for gentlemen, cutoffs, torn clothing of any kind or T-shirts with offensive language and/or graphics.

Dinner Shows:Enjoy family-style dining with live entertainment at a themed dinner show.The Disney Deluxe Dining Plan can be used for Category 2 or Category 3 seating at all Dinner Shows (subject to availability) and Category 1 seating at the 8:30 PM Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue (subject to availability). Please pick up your Dinner Show ticket at the Concierge Desk in your Disney Resort hotel prior to arriving at the show. All Dinner Shows require advance reservations.Two meals for each Dinner Show meal ordered will be redeemed from each person’s meal plan balance.Private In-Room Dining:Indulge in the comfort and convenience of dining in your room at select Disney Resort hotels.Each Private In-Room Dining meal includes:

Two meals for each Private In-Room Dining meal ordered will be redeemed from each person’s meal plan balance. Gratuities are included.Please note: Dining Plans are not accepted for Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort Private Dining.